Child seat for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

The inventive pneumatic child seat ( 1 ) comprises a back part ( 8 ) and a seating part ( 7 ). The child seat ( 1 ) can be impinged upon by pressure from a pressure gas store ( 11 ) after the closing element ( 6 ) is opened. The child seat ( 1 ) automatically unfolds from an opening ( 5 ) in a back rest ( 4 ) of a vehicle seat, changes into the represented shape and is disposed on the seat ( 3 ) of a vehicle seat. Said child seat is configured in such a manner that the back part ( 8 ) can be supported separately, extending into the opening ( 5 ) when impinged upon by pressure from a pocket ( 17 ) and being secured therein.

The invention relates to a child seat for a vehicle according to thepreamble of claim 1.

Child seats as such are known. Apart from the safety and comfort forchildren, easy handling is an important feature. A child seat should beeasy to install and remove and have a weight as low as possible, sincethe adjustment and movement of heavy objects in general in a passengercar is extremely awkward and, in a stooping position, is also hazardousto health.

As to the type of design, application PCT/CH03/00017 comes closest tothe present invention. The document of the same applicant disclosespneumatic seating and back cushions for vehicles and aircraft. Thecushions are constituted by a gas-tight envelope. Ribs, which give thefilled envelope the external shape, run inside the envelope. Theseseating and back cushions are conceived as a fully adequate and easyreplacement for seats in means of transport.

Although these cushions have a pneumatic form, they are permanentlyinstalled and a fixed component of a vehicle or aircraft. Consequently,they are neither collapsible nor space-saving.

The problem of the present invention is to design a child seat whichovercomes the aforementioned drawbacks of pneumatic seating cushions andback cushions.

The solution to the problem posed is set out in the characterising partof the independent claim in respect of its main features and in thedependent claims in respect of further advantageous features.

The present invention concerns a pneumatic child seat. Like conventionalchild seats, it can be installed in a vehicle seat or a bench seat atthe side or in the middle. The child seat according to the invention canobviously also be fitted at another point in the vehicle interior. If itis not required, it does not have to be removed, but rather thecompressed air is merely sucked out and the essentially empty envelopeis stowed in an opening, in a vehicle seat for example, which isspecially provided for the purpose and can be closed. If the child seatis again required, it is sufficient to release the closure of theopening and to pressurise the envelope again, as a result of which thechild seat automatically unfolds and can then be used again in the usualway.

The child seat according to the invention is described in detail withthe aid of the following figures.

In the figures:

FIGS. 1 a-c show the unfolding of a child seat in the presence ofpressurisation,

FIGS. 2 a-2 b show cross-sections through a vehicle seat with aninstalled child seat,

FIGS. 3 a-3 b show embodiments of the child seat,

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of the child seat,

FIG. 5 shows a detail view of a part of the back part.

FIGS. 1 a-c show the unfolding of a child seat 1 according to theinvention in the presence of pressurisation.

An opening 5 is provided in a backrest of a vehicle bench seat in FIG. 1a. Closure element 6 has already been folded down onto seating area 3and pressurisation has commenced. A seating cushion 7 fixed to closureelement 6 has been unfolded together with closure element 6 out ofopening 5 and has already almost assumed its taut form. A back part 8connected to seating cushion 7 is on the point of unfolding out ofopening 5. Opening 5 is provided in a backrest 4 in FIGS. 1 a-c. It isalso in accordance with the invention as shown in FIG. 2 b to provideopening 5 in seating area 3 and to close the same with the closureelement. In such a configuration, back part 8 is fixed to the closureelement and, when the latter is opened, is also folded out.

Obviously, it is also possible to provide opening 5 at another suitableplace in the car interior, for example in a side panel, a door, thevehicle floor or an armrest of a vehicle seat.

The pressurisation has already continued further in FIG. 1 b. Back part8 is about to become upright and to unfold completely.

FIG. 1 c shows child seat 1 in its functional form. In the exampleshown, shell shapes have been selected for the seating cushion and theback part, said shells shapes also allowing a child to be supported atthe sides, especially when travelling round bends. Less pronounced andflatter forms can of course also be produced and are included in theidea of the invention. FIGS. 2 a-2 b show cross-sections through avehicle seat and child seat 1 relieved of pressure, folded together andstowed away. Closure element 6 is folded up and closes opening 5 in aflush manner. In order to prevent accidental opening, but also foraesthetic reasons, a VELCRO® or zip fastening can for example also beprovided running around the closure element.

Pneumatic child seat 1 never has to be removed for reasons of use andspace; if it is required, closure element 6 is opened and the child seatpressurised, if it is no longer required, the pressure is released fromchild seat 1 and it is stowed away without any effort back into opening5 provided for the purpose. It should be noted here that child seat 1 inthe stowed state is well protected by closure element 6 and no demandsare made either on passenger space or space for luggage.

The system for pressurisation and pressure relief comprises at least acompressed gas store 11, a vacuum pump 12, a directional control valve13 and a compressed gas line 14. Pressure-generating means are notshown, such as for example a compressor, which fills the compressed gasstore when the engine is running. These elements 11, 12, 13, 14 arearranged merely diagrammatically in FIGS. 3 a-3 b. Depending on thevehicle, these elements 11, 12, 13, 14 can be accommodated in completelydifferent places. Compressed gas store 11 and the vacuum pump can forexample be integrated into opening 5 itself, but also in the enginecompartment. Compressed gas line 14 connects child seat 1 anddirectional control valve 13. The same compressed gas line 14 can thusbe used for the pressurisation and for pumping empty. The pressuremanagement is carried out by a control console 15, which is housed at asuitable point in the vehicle, for example on the dashboard. In thesimplest configuration, the control console comprises an individualon/off switch, whereby “on” for example stands for full and “off” forempty. In order to avoid excessive pressurisation, a pressure sensor 16of control console 15 signals that the operating pressure has beenreached, after which further pressurisation is stopped. More complicatedcontrol consoles with, for example, temperature-dependent and/orweight-dependent pressure management are also included in the inventiveidea, as well as other configurations of the compressed gas system.

Back part 8 of the child seat can be equipped with a dp/dt valve. If achild is pressed into child seat 1 in a rear-end collision, the dp/dtvalve opens when a preset pressure change per time unit is reached andremoves the pressure in back part 8 within the shortest possible time.At least a part of the impact energy experienced by the child can thusbe absorbed, and the acceleration forces acting on the child and thusthe risk of injury can be reduced.

Cross-sections through a vehicle seat and side views of a pressurisedchild seat 1 are shown in FIGS. 3 a-3 b. In order that the child seat iscorrectly positioned and also remains so during the journey, it is—asalready mentioned—connected at least to the inside of closure element 6.This connection can be detachable or permanent, for example by means ofVELCRO® fastenings 18, press-studs 20 or by gluing. Closure element 6 isessentially produced from the upholstery and the cover of the vehicleseat, but can of course be reinforced on the side of child seat 1. Inorder to support back part 8 separately, it can be designed in such away that, in the presence of pressurisation, it extends with a pocket 17into opening 5 and wedges itself there.

Analogous forms of solution can of course also be found for other typesof installation. A child seat 1 according to the invention, whichunfolds from the vehicle floor or an armrest, can for example have apocket 17 which wedges child seat 1 between two vehicle seats or avehicle seat and a side panel of the vehicle.

If the connection between child seat 1 and closure element 6 is designeddetachable, child seat 1 or only seating cushion 7 or only back part 8can be replaced extremely easily. It is possible, therefore, for childseat 1 to grow, as it were, with a child. The width and height of backpart 8 and the width and length of seating cushion 7 can thus be variedand adapted by replacing cushions 7, 8. It is also possible for only oneof cushions 7, 8 to be used, for example to raise the seating position.In a variant of child seat 1, seating cushion 7 and back part 8 can bedesigned connected, i.e. as a single cushion, and in turn be connecteddetachably to closure element 6.

FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically the structure of a child seat 1 accordingto the invention. It essentially comprises seating cushion 7 and backpart 8, which are each produced from an envelope 2 and ribs 9 welded orglued therein. Envelope 2 is gas-tight and can, for this purpose, beconstituted for example by a PU film or a PU-coated, PU-laminated orPU-flocked textile material. The shape of ribs 9 determines thecross-section of seating cushion 7 or back part 8. If ribs 9 aredisposed U-shaped, a shell shape emerges in the presence ofpressurisation, if they are rectangular, board-like cushions 7, 8emerge. Further shapes and embodiments of ribs 9 are also in accordancewith invention. An overpressure of approx 100-200 hPa suffices for theformation. The fixing of cushions 7, 8 to one another can be producedfor example with one or more VELCRO® fastenings 18 or press-studs 20.For the individual design, cushions 7, 8 can also be provided with areplaceable cover 19. Color matching to personal taste or to theinterior of the vehicle can thus easily be achieved. Preferences forcertain materials can also be taken into account.

In another design of child seat 1 according to the invention (notshown), envelope 2 and ribs 9 of cushions 7, 8 are also produced fromtextile materials. Gas-tight tubes are, however, then inserted intochambers between ribs 9 and envelope 2 and pressurised. The tubes canform one or more connected chambers or each form an individual gas-tightchamber. In such a configuration, a cover 19 can for example bedispensed with.

The detail in FIG. 5 shows, in an enlarged fashion, a part of back part8 in the region of a shoulder of a sitting child. A recess 21 for a beltband of a three-point belt is made there at the side in back part 8.Between seating cushion 7 and back part 8 in the region of the hips, thetwo cushions 7, 8 can be fashioned in such a way that space remains onboth sides for the part of the belt band running roughly horizontally. Astandard three-point belt can thus be worn in the usual way. If a recess21 is introduced on both sides in back part 8, four-point belts can alsobe worn. These are particularly suitable for small children.

1. A child seat for vehicles, comprising: an inflatable seating cushion;an inflatable back part; the seating cushion and the back part beingadapted to unfold automatically in the presence of pressurisation andbeing stowable in a vehicle interior in a space-saving manner in anessentially empty state; wherein the child seat can be stowed in anopening in the vehicle interior, wherein the opening is adapted to bearranged in a backrest of a vehicle seat; and wherein in a pressurisedstate of the child seat, a part of an envelope extends from the backpart into the opening in the backrest of the vehicle seat and wedges thechild seat in position.
 2. The child seat for vehicles according toclaim 1, wherein the opening can be closed with a closure element in aflush and form-fit manner.
 3. The child seat for vehicles according toclaim 1, wherein the child seat can be emptied with a vacuum pump. 4.The child seat for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein the closureelement is adapted to protect the child seat in the stowed, empty state;and wherein the closure element is connected detachably or permanentlyto an underside of a seating area or a rear side of the back part of thechild seat and when unfolded, positions the child seat in an openedstate.
 5. The child seat for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein arecess is present on at least one side in a shoulder region of the childseat for wearing a three-point belt or the recess is provided on bothsides of the shoulder region for wearing a four-point belt.
 6. The childseat for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the seating cushion andthe back part are each separate air cushions which can be detachablyconnected to one another, or that the seating cushion and the back partare formed from a single air cushion.
 7. The child seat for vehiclesaccording to claim 6, wherein the seating cushion and the back part aredetachably connected with VELCRO® fastenings or press-studs.
 8. Thechild seat for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the child seatcomprising the seating cushion and the back part is sized and shaped toaccommodate a child's physical dimensions.
 9. The child seat forvehicles according to claim 1 further comprising: means forpressurisation and emptying of the child seat, said means comprising: apressure gas store; a vacuum pump; and a directional control valve whichcan be controlled with a pressure sensor and a control console with atleast one switch.
 10. The child seat for vehicles according to claim 1,wherein the envelope is gas-tight and has, in its interior, ribs whichgive the envelope an external shape in the pressurised state.
 11. Thechild seat for vehicles according to claim 10, wherein the envelope ismade from a PU film or a PU-coated, PU-laminated or PU-flocked textilematerial.
 12. The child seat for vehicles according to claim 1, whereina removable cover is fitted around the seating cushion and around theback part.
 13. A child seat for vehicles, comprising: an inflatableseating cushion; an inflatable back part; the seating cushion and theback part being adapted to unfold automatically in the presence ofpressurisation and being stowable in a vehicle interior in aspace-saving manner in an essentially empty state; wherein the childseat can be stowed in an opening in the vehicle interior, wherein theopening is adapted to be arranged in a seating area of a vehicle seat;and wherein in a pressurised state of the child seat, a part of anenvelope extends from the seat cushion and into the opening in theseating area of the vehicle seat and wedges the child seat in position.